Elder Justice Act Update:

The Coalition has learned that S. 1070, the Elder Justice Act, has moved to the point where it is being circulated among Senators to try and get it to the Senate floor under unanimous consent.

The process is called hot lining. If no objection is registered over the coming days, then the bill could be eligible for a Senate vote at any time. We have also included the Congressional Budget Office’s scoring of the bill as an attachment to this email. We will closely monitor the process over the coming days and if we are made aware of any objections, we will ask our Coalition members from that state to help with that Senator. As we write this we cannot confirm, but expect, that S. 1577, The Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act of 2007, authored by Senator Kohl, may also be hot lined for separate consideration by the full Senate.

If the Senate is able to pass the EJA under unanimous consent, it would go to the House and, based on a briefing we had this week with key staff on Elder Justice, it could be taken up by the full House, but it is too early to know for sure.

Meanwhile in the House, a related elder justice bill, H.R. 5352, the Elder Abuse Victims Act of 2008, is scheduled for a vote by the full House next week. It is a bill that would establish specialized elder abuse prosecution, research programs, activities to aid victims of elder abuse, and provide training to prosecutors and other law enforcement related to elder abuse prevention and protection. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Joe Sestak( D-PA) and is backed by the Elder Justice Coalition.

Finally, the following new co-sponsors have joined the Elder Justice Act:

S.1070: Sen. Casey (D–PA) and Sen. Mikulski (D-MD)

H.R. 1784: Rep. Tubbs Jones (D-OH) (deceased) and Rep. Roybal-Allard (D-CA)

SILVER ALERT BILL PASSES HOUSE

H.R. 6064, The National Silver Alert Act, a bill to encourage, enhance, and integrate Silver Alert plans throughout the United States, passed the House on Wednesday, September 17^th. The bill, which was passed by voice vote, had the support of the Elder Justice Coalition.